Where you can travel in space depends on how much propellant you’ve got on board your rocket and how efficiently you can use it. But there’s a source of free propellant right here in the Solar System - the Sun - which is streaming out photons in all directions. You just need to catch them.
And right now, the Planetary Society’s new LightSail 2 spacecraft is testing out just how well it’ll work.
Light Sail 2 Photos:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-team-continues-tweaks-tests.html
Episode on Breakthrough Starshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FWcEtXgK2g&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=146
Episode on Project Dragonfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=598UtgxFd1E&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=23
Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio
What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
References:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-maximum-speed-a-chemical-rocket-can-achieve
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-has-launched.html
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-team-continues-tweaks-tests.html
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2014-4435
https://www.nasa.gov/content/nea-scout
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2018/pdf/1406.pdf
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2017/20170925-solar-sail-dsg.html